Russell Brand Death Rumour Debunked: Netizens Misread Dan Bongino Tribute Post for Charlie Kirk

Russell Brand is not dead. The 50-year-old British actor and comedian became the subject of a viral death rumour on 10 March after conservative commentator Dan Bongino posted an unnamed tribute on X that thousands of users mistakenly interpreted as being about Brand.

Bongino, a former FBI Deputy Director who now hosts a conservative radio programme, has more than seven million followers on the platform. He shared two photographs alongside the caption: 'There won't be another. One of the saddest days of my life. He was just different. And everyone who knew him knew it. May God rest your soul.'

He named no one.

One of the images showed Bongino sitting alongside Brand and the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a panel. The second showed Bongino in an FBI jacket speaking with an agent from the bureau's Evidence Response Team. With Brand prominently positioned in the first photograph and no name attached to the post, users drew the wrong conclusion.

X user Jackson Clarke, who has around 39,000 followers, retweeted Bongino's post at 7:41 p.m. ET and wrote: 'I can't believe this is how I found out Russell Brand is dead.' The tweet helped propel the false claim further, drawing thousands of replies and likes within hours. Other users responded with confusion, with one writing: 'Wait... what? Is Russell Brand actually dead?'

Why Users Confused the Dan Bongino Tribute for Russell Brand

Bongino was mourning Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, who was assassinated on 10 September 2025 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck by a rooftop gunman during an outdoor campus debate event as part of his American Comeback Tour. Around 3,000 people were in attendance at the time.

Tyler Robinson, 22, from Washington County, Utah, was arrested the following day and charged with aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 2026.

Bongino's tribute landed on the six-month mark of Kirk's killing. As FBI Deputy Director at the time of the assassination, Bongino personally oversaw the federal investigation into Kirk's death and has spoken publicly about Kirk as a close personal friend on numerous occasions. He left the bureau earlier this year and returned to broadcasting in February 2026 with Cumulus Media's Westwood One.

Several users in the replies to Bongino's post eventually clarified that the tribute was about Kirk, not Brand. There are no reports of Brand being ill, hospitalised, or in any medical distress. The death claim is false.

Russell Brand Faces Seven Charges Ahead of June Trial

Brand is currently facing seven sexual offence charges involving six women in the United Kingdom. In April 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised five charges - two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of indecent assault. The alleged offences took place between 1999 and 2005.

He pleaded not guilty to all five at London's Southwark Crown Court in May 2025. A trial date has been set for 3 June 2026 and is expected to last four to five weeks, per NBC News.

Two further charges followed in December 2025 after two additional women came forward. The Metropolitan Police announced one count of rape and one count of sexual assault relating to alleged incidents in 2009.

Brand returned to Southwark Crown Court on 24 February 2026 and pleaded not guilty to the latest two charges. A hearing next month will determine whether the new allegations are joined to the existing case.

The Met's investigation into Brand was first launched in 2023 following a joint exposé by Channel 4's Dispatches and The Sunday Times, which featured allegations from multiple women. Brand has denied all charges. He previously stated on X that while he had been a 'fool' and an addict, he was not a rapist. He lives in Florida and remains on bail ahead of the June trial.

Kirk has been widely mourned since his death. President Donald Trump posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in October 2025. Nearly 100,000 people attended his memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on 21 September.